


One More Cup Of Coffee

by monochromekiss



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Romance, Coffee Shops, Don’t copy to another site, Fluff, M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 20:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20315455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monochromekiss/pseuds/monochromekiss
Summary: When a new regular customer attracts Shiro's attention he comes up with a plan to get his feelings across. The only problem is Keith can be painfully oblivious, even when romance is staring him in the face.





	One More Cup Of Coffee

It had been two weeks since Shiro had first noticed the attractive young man with black hair and grey eyes walk into the coffee shop where he worked. Normally Shiro was not easily distracted at work, but there was something about this person in particular that caused him to completely abandon what he was doing in favour of staring. When he walked over to the counter and ordered a black coffee Shiro knew he should have efficiently produced the coffee in under a minute as he always did, however this time Shiro was thrown off by the smooth and enchanting voice. 

The brief and awkward exchange between them was probably the most embarrassing moment Shiro had experienced at work, a moment he had assumed would be just a one off. That was until the same man came in at the exact same time the next morning and ordered a black coffee again. It soon became a daily occurrence for the handsome brunette to arrive at exactly 7am and order the same drink, and each time Shiro would feel the same excitement he had felt the first time it had happened. 

That was why Shiro was now standing behind the far side of the counter with an empty coffee cup clutched in one hand, the other tentatively holding a marker pen as he attempted to write some romantic song lyrics. He had already made several attempts, a small pile of used cups building up by the side of him that he had already discarded. His latest attempt was from the song Madness by Muse which just happened to be one of the few love songs that came to mind. 

Allura had just finished changing into her uniform, but as she joined Shiro behind the counter the first thing she noticed was the stack of wasted cups with black ink scrawled across them. “Why are you wasting cups when we haven’t even had our first customer yet?” She asked as she leaned over Shiro’s shoulder, trying to take a closer look at what he was writing. 

“Remember that handsome guy who comes in every morning and orders the same thing?” Shiro replied as he analyzed his handwriting, which seemed to get worse and worse. “I figured I’d try to get through to him by writing messages on his cup or something? It’s not weird.”

“You could just talk to him. That’s an option.” Allura sighed softly. Of course she remembered the man who had a habit of coming in every morning, even if he wasn’t the kind of person she would normally notice. But it was hard not to take notice when Shiro seemed to freeze up and forget how to function every time. 

“Can you read this?” Shiro held the cup up to Allura where he scrawled on '_ But I have finally seen the light ,I have finally realized ,I need to love' _. “Is it too much?”

Allura had to lean in close and squint a little before she managed to make out the words. “Maybe a bit too much. Do you even know the guy’s name?”

“...Dough...Tableston.”

“Shiro...I saw you looking around the room and no one has ever been called Dough Tableston.” Allura replied with a roll of her eyes, quickly concluding that Shiro hadn’t even managed to find that out yet. “You don’t know, do you?” 

Shiro sighed and pouted a bit as he threw the denied cup onto the pile of cups he would probably have to use later and it was definitely going to be an awkward experience. “No, I don’t know his name. But I’ll figure it out this way. Maybe? It’ll work.”

“Just...Tone down the lyrics a bit maybe?” Allura suggested before walking away to set everything up ready for the first customer of the day, and she had a feeling she knew who it was going to be. 

“It was the first thing that came to mind. Well, not the first but you know what I mean…” Shiro murmured as he tried to come up with more song lyrics that would be appropriate. After a while of resting his chin on his palm and staring at the ceiling he thanked James Blunt for existing and scribbled. '_ We could dance, but I can't dance. Maybe we could stick to holding hands.' _ on the cup and decided that was good enough after getting Allura’s reluctant approval.

As expected, when Allura looked up after hearing the door open she saw the familiar face of the brunette Shiro had been stressing over. She glanced over at Shiro with a knowing look, stepping away so he could put his plan into action. 

“One black coffee to go, please.” The shorter man said as he reached the counter.

“The usual then.” He chuckled as he prepared the man’s order, it was always so quick Shiro could never really get any small talk in. “Careful, it’s really hot.” He smiled as he handed him the to-go cup with the James Blunt lyrics on it. He was starting to think maybe those were too much too. Too late now though.

“Thanks.” He replied as he took the cup from Shiro. But before having a chance to turn away he was distracted by the large amount of words scrawled across the cup, staring down at the black ink in confusion. His first thought was the slogan of the shop perhaps, or a warning that the drink was hot, although it was hard to make out the exact words since the handwriting was a little shaky. 

Shiro took advantage of the opportunity after getting a look from Allura and decided to finally ask. “What’s your name?” He blurted out a little too bluntly. He really wasn’t at the top of his game today.

The brunette was caught slightly off guard by the sudden question, glancing up at Shiro with a confused look. “Uh...It’s Keith.” 

“I just figured it’d be nice to know since you come here so often.” He said quickly to try and recover. “I’m Shiro.”

“Ah...Well, nice to meet you Shiro. I mean, we’ve already met but you know.” Keith replied awkwardly before glancing back towards the door. “Anyway...Bye.” He uttered, quickly turning away from the counter and rushing outside before he had a chance to make more of a fool of himself. 

“Very smooth.” Allura remarked once Keith had left, giving Shiro a small clap. 

“At least I got his name this time, that’s something right?” Shiro pouted a little. “Don’t answer, you’ll be mean.”

“Well, I guess it’s better than not knowing anything at all.” Allura said absentmindedly, wondering if Keith would still come in the next morning after that awkward exchange. 

* * *

Keith had long since finished his coffee and was now working on the repairs of one of the motorbikes he had in the garage. He still hadn’t been able to completely decipher what was written on his cup from before, though he assumed it can’t have been that important so he pushed it to the back of his mind and focused on his work instead. 

Meanwhile, Pidge was on her way to Keith’s shop; after Keith dropped out of college they had agreed to still see each other and she was lucky enough that she got a job nearby after finishing her course so they always spent some time together before she went to work and it was always a good stress reliever for someone with a job so demanding as hers.

She ducked under the garage door and waved at Keith before taking a sip of her own coffee. “Heya.”

“Hey.” Keith replied without even looking up from the bike. As he finished the last of the repairs it suddenly occurred to him that maybe Pidge would have an easier time reading the cup. He had never been able to read any of the notes he had seen Matt make, yet Pidge had always been able to somehow read her brother’s writing. “Oh, yeah...While you’re here, can you read what that cup says?” He asked, gesturing over to the small desk in the corner where the cup was still left. 

“Uh sure?” Pidge was a bit confused but walked over to the desk and picked up the cup, adjusting her glasses. “We could dance, but I can't dance. Maybe we could stick to holding hands. Sounds like song lyrics to me. Matt’s handwriting is way worse than this, give me an actual challenge next time.”

“Oh. He wrote song lyrics. Okay.” Keith shrugged as he stood up and joined Pidge by the desk, not bothering to explain the situation any further. 

“He? Who? The barista?” Pidge was already dreading a yes that would eventually lead to a lengthy conversation about how he’s being flirted with. Again.

“Yeah. Guess that’s just a quirky thing they do in there. Although this is the first time it’s happened. And he asked for my name today too.” Keith replied casually. 

“Keith. Don’t do this to me, it’s too early.” Pidge groaned as she rubbed her temples.

Keith glanced over at Pidge with a baffled look before picking up the cup from before and turning it around in his hands. “Do what?...I just asked a question?” 

“The barista asked for your name and wrote song lyrics on your cup. Did I get that right?”

“Yeah. Well no, actually...He gave me the cup with the lyrics on. And then I was confused because I couldn’t read it. Then he asked for my name, and then told me his name. It was weird.” Keith explained, thinking back on how odd the exchange between them had been.

“Did he say anything else?” Pidge asked, trying to push him to share more. 

“I didn’t exactly give him a chance. I sort of panicked and left really quickly.” Keith explained, only just realising how stupid that sounded.

“So the usual.” She sighed. “Maybe I should go with you next time and see who’s serenading you through coffee cups.”

“The usual? But I’ve never had song lyrics written on my coffee cup before?” Keith asked with a genuinely perplexed expression, tilting his head to one side. 

“I’m meeting you at that place tomorrow.” Pidge crossed her arms. “I really don’t think it’s just a 'quirky' thing they do there.”

“But why else would- Oh…” Keith’s eyes suddenly widened in realisation, a faint blush crossing his cheeks. It wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed how attractive Shiro was even if they hadn’t interacted much, but it was hard for him to believe someone like that would be interested. “Nah...A guy that hot wouldn’t be interested in me.” 

“One: You’ve checked him out then, and two: a million hot guys have been interested and you accidentally shut them down only to complain about being single and bringing despair into my life every time we hang out.” Pidge said, obviously exaggerating, she knew he didn’t mean to be that oblivious but it could actually be a bit frustrating at times.

“Okay...I did check him out a little. He’s very tall and muscular and has this adorable white tuft of hair at the front.” Keith gestured to the front of his own hair to prove his point, his blush darkening a little. He decided to ignore the rest of what Pidge said, not wanting to have the same conversation all over again. 

“Just your type then. Stop being a baby and actually try this time,” Pidge lightly punched his side. “I’ll help you out.”

“I guess I can try if you’re there.” Keith reluctantly agreed, though he was still doubting whether Shiro was even interested in him. In his mind it could have still been just an innocent thing, but either way he was sure with Pidge there he would find out.   


* * *

Shiro figured he would give the lyrics shtick another try this morning since he got it right the first time. After Keith left he realised they would have to use the cups with the discarded lyrics and it became awkward when people tried to flirt back, so Shiro said it was just a new thing they were trying and started writing random lyrics with no romantic intent that morning and set Keith’s aside with '_I_ _ don't quite know, How to say, How I feel' _ written in more legible handwriting along the side. That was less intense and clearer. If it didn’t work he would have to resort to words which would be more efficient but less romantic.

At exactly 7am; Keith showed up as usual but this time he had company. Shiro wondered if they were Keith’s partner but then realized it was probably not good to assume that right away. He noticed they were whispering to each other so he turned his gaze away to other customers in line.

“He’s exactly your type.” Pidge whispered to Keith once she got a look at Shiro. “Make a move..!”

“Make a move?! How am I supposed to do that?!” Keith huffed under his breath, glancing frantically between her and Shiro. He had been hoping for a lot more helpful advice than that. 

“I know there’s still some charm in there.” She gave him a pat on the back. “Put it to good use, yeah? Ask him out.”

“Okay. I can do this.” Keith whispered mostly to try and reassure himself. He took a few hesitant steps towards the counter, panic starting to build up as soon as his eyes met with Shiro’s. “Hi...Hey, Hello...I’m here...Uh, yeah…” 

Shiro melted a little and chuckled. “Yes, you are. It’s nice to see you again, you brought a friend?” He asked, nodding over at Pidge who was watching closely but turned away quickly when she noticed Shiro look back at her.

Keith felt the heat rise to his cheeks, and he glanced over at Pidge desperately for guidance but it was clear she wanted him to figure this out himself. “Yeah, she’s my friend. So I’ll have a black coffee, and also…” He trailed off, wanting to ask Shiro out or at least ask for his number but the words just wouldn’t come out. 

“And also?” Shiro asked curiously as he walked over to the coffee maker; he never ordered anything but the black coffee. He was hopeful about Keith asking for his number, but there was no way. He was out of Shiro’s league, so it seemed unlikely he would take the first step. 

Keith stayed quiet for a long moment and looked away, feeling far too embarrassed to ask. But then if he kept backing out he would miss whatever small chance he had. If he had even the slightest chance to go on a date with Shiro then he wanted to take it. “Also...Your number please!” He yelped loudly without thinking, everyone else in the vicinity quickly turning around to see what the sudden noise was, especially after it was followed by a cackle from Pidge.

Shiro chuckled and gently took Keith’s hand that was resting on the counter and wrote it on his exposed arm with a smiley face at the end. “Here you go.” He winked and felt his own cheeks heat up a little right after.

“T-Thank you...I’ll uh...Call you?” Keith asked hesitantly, staring down at his own arm as he struggled to process this was actually happening.

“I sure hope so.” Shiro smiled as he handed Keith his coffee. “Maybe we could go out sometime.”

“Okay, that would be great.” Keith replied with an enthusiastic smile. He wanted to stay in Shiro’s company a little longer, but he became vaguely there was a queue of customers forming behind him that Shiro still needed to serve. “I guess we’ll arrange something later?”

“Sounds good.” Shiro smiled fondly. “See you around, Keith.”

“See you.” Keith replied, giving the taller man an awkward wave. He still didn’t make a move to leave until he felt Pidge tugging on his arm and leading him back outside passed a line of disgruntled and impatient looking customers. As soon as the door closed behind them Keith tugged his hand away so he could fistpump the air with a smug grin. “I did it!” 

“Well Shiro did most of it but sure buddy.” Pidge chuckled. “You got his number now!” 

“I did! But that means I have to call him...Oh god, what if I say something stupid?” Keith asked with wide eyes, the elation from before starting to dissipate. Although he had somehow managed to get Shiro’s number it hadn’t been the most smooth of interactions.

“6 out of 10 times you’ll say something stupid, but he probably will too so it’s okay.” Pidge shrugged.

“I guess…” Keith sighed, still feeling a little unsure. He glanced down at the coffee cup in his hand, quickly noticing there was a new set of song lyrics scrawled across it but this time in neater handwriting. '_ I don't quite know, How to say, How I feel' _ were the new words written across his cup, and it only took Keith a few seconds to remember what song those were from. “Oh...He likes Snow Patrol too.”

“Everyone likes Snow Patrol.” Pidge snorted. “Less intense than yesterday’s lyrics though.” 

“I guess he really was trying to flirt with me.” Keith said in awe, still in shock at how quickly things had progressed. Up until the very moment Shiro wrote his number on his arm Keith had still had doubts over whether he was actually interested in him. 

“Congratulations.” Pidge clapped. “A perception check: you solved the mystery.” 

“Now I’ve just got to solve the mystery of what you do on a date.” Keith replied thoughtfully. 

“Hmm…” Pidge squinted and rubbed her chin. “I guess we can always google it.”

“I guess that’s as good a plan as any.” Keith shrugged in response. He wasn’t sure how well this date was going to go since neither of them knew anything about romance, but it seemed like Shiro was just clueless and in a way maybe that was a good thing. They would both be starting out on equal ground. He started walking towards work with a newfound sense of excitement, confident that no matter what they did things would work out somehow. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic for the Voltron fandom, so I hope I managed to do well on this. I've been meaning to write for this fandom for quite a while now, I was just waiting for a good AU idea to come to my head.
> 
> [M's twitter](https://twitter.com/MonoVarnham)
> 
> [M's instagram](https://instagram.com/xxmonochromekissxx)


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